Piers' Survival
by Revadod
Summary: Post-RE6. Piers wakes up and is instantly met with chaos. One familiar voice, however, permeates through the madness and calms him.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER I

Chaos...Haos' shrieking...Chris' screams emanating from the escape pod...these are the noises Piers remembers last. Wait...what was it he hears now? Heavy chatter...periodic beeps from beside him...Chris' voice? Was that really the Captain?!

"He's coming to!" He heard someone shout to the rest of those present in the room.

Piers blinked his eye open with the small amount of strength he had left, his lid weighed shut from exhaustion. The white light that shone in his eye almost blinded him. It wasn't until after he opened his eye for a second time that he realized only the one was obeying his commands. His right would not reveal itself to the light.

'How long had he been "gone?" Who had found him? Why wouldn't his right eye operate? Was he actually alive or was this a cruel dream given to him by Death?'

Although hazy, Piers could see multiple bodies frantically moving from place to place in his field of vision, one of which looked very familiar. It looked like it was several meters away, but its hand reached out and touched his face. As his sight returned to him little by little, Piers could make out a figure of someone leaning over his body.

"Piers! Piers! Come on, man you can pull through!" exclaimed a voice he recognized.

A sudden chill was sent over Piers' body. His body felt weak and his heart beat fast, feelings he had only experienced around one person before.

"Cap-..." Piers mumbled meekly.

"Piers!" The voice answered back.

With a sudden burst of energy, Piers sat up. Sheer pain was sent shooting through his body in response to this violent action. The familiar figure helped Piers ease back onto his bed, a groan of agony escaping his lips.

"Take it easy, soldier." Chris told Piers with a gentle tone.

Piers opened his eye again and could finally make out the details of objects around him. He must be in a hospital. One thing caught his eye. Chris Redfield really had been the one speaking to him. The Captain was safe! And he was really alive! Again Piers asked himself who had rescued him from the underwater base. Right now, he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was that he had done his duty.

"C-Captain?" Piers tried again to speak.

"Yes, Piers?! Talk to me! Let me know you're going to be alright! Damnit Piers don't you leave me! I refuse to let this war against bioterrorism take my last man away from me!" Chris sounded desperate and confused. His voice was quivering. Piers knew only too well that Chris got this way when he was scared. Scared to lose another life under his command.

"Was...the mission...successful, sir?" Piers managed to ask.

"All thanks to you, soldier." Chris sighed. The quiver and excitement were gone. They had been replaced with relief.

"Good..." Piers relaxed at last. He was going to live. The world was safe again...for now.

"Piers, I-" Chris began, but was interrupted when Piers cringed and groaned in pain yet again, "What's wrong?!" The frustration in his voice had returned.

"Ugh...Captain...my arm..." Piers whimpered.

Piers' vision finally returned to him completely. He looked over to see his right arm wrapped in layers of gauze and with strange tubes running from it to machines around him. A strange liquid was being injected into him slowly.

Piers attempted to move his appendage, but it would not budge. He couldn't even get his fingers to obey.

Panicking, Piers had to ask, "Captain! What's going on?!" adrenaline flowing through his body.  
Putting a hand to Piers' crippled arm, Chris tried to explain, "It's alright, soldier, it's only temporary. After you were recovered, we quickly administered 'Anti-C', the vaccine Jake Muller's blood helped create. Usually, at this stage it is fatal, but with you already..." Chris couldn't continue. He didn't want to say that last word.

"Gone." Piers finished.

"Yeah...we tried it anyway."

"So...how was I revived?" Piers asked with caution. He didn't want to cause the Captain any more stress. He had to admit he didn't want to talk about his own "death" either.

"That's more complicated. Sherry Birkin also helped. She donated some of her blood to give to you so your body could regenerate your infected organs and limbs. They had to strengthen it in some way and then stop it before it controlled you. A lot of risks were taken to get you back, but...I wouldn't let them give up."

Well, thank you Captain..." Piers was surprised to hear he was held in such high regard with so many people.

"Just call me Chris. You should get used to calling me by name. I'm not letting you work for us anymore. I won't risk it."

This hit Piers hard. "I will recover...right? Then I can go back to fighting sick bastards like Simmons."

"Yes, and No Piers. You will recover, but it will take a while and I will NOT let you risk your life like that again. Who knows what side effects could show up later while you're in the field? No, it's been decided and you can't change my mind." Chris said with conviction.

"But Captain!-"

"I told you to call me Chris!" He shouted.

Piers couldn't believe it. The Captain...or Chris...really was determined to keep him safe. That isn't what he wanted though. He wanted to keep Chris safe.

"You can't always be the hero." Piers stung back at him.

"...I never was one..." Chris' shoulders sank and Piers saw a sadness flash in his mahogany colored eyes.

"Chris...I never meant that-" Piers tried to atone.

"That's enough. You need rest, I will leave you alone for now. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Chris please!" Piers reached out his functional arm and grabbed Chris' own hand, "Don't leave, I have more questions! I need someone here to let me know this is all real."

"...Piers I can't stay. I have a mission and you know what the B.S.A.A. expects."

"The mission always comes first. Yeah, I know, but Chris I don't want you to leave! I-I..."

At this moment Chris put his hand over Piers' lips and said, "I know, Piers, you're scared. You've been through hell and I can't blame you for being afraid. You have to promise me that you will stay strong. I've seen what you can do and this is just another obstacle you can overcome. Trust me. Yes what you said cut deep...but I won't stop supporting you. If you can hold out for one more day, I will tell you everything you want to know. Now, soldier, if you pull through this, I might rethink taking you back in. Someone who lives through this shit and pulls through with his head held high is a man to honor."

"I'll try my best Captain." Piers answered with a weak smile. He did trust this man. The man who had protected him from the moment they met. The man he had respected above all others. Did the Captain really think those things? Had he really impressed him?

"There you go!" Chris smiled back and set Piers' hand back on the bed. "Now I'll see you tomorrow."

Piers watched as Chris left and he wondered what it was he felt towards the Captain. He felt something, but it wasn't just admiration anymore. He felt a companionship and an importance.

'Whatever it is, at least it means I'm alive. Emotion is good, I guess, so I'll see what happens. I should probably get some sleep though.'

With that Piers rested his head upon the pillow of his bed and tried to rest.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER II

With a jolt, Piers awoke for the third time. He couldn't sleep because of the nightmares. It's not like he didn't expect them, but they only got worse. The first was of his transformation and he felt all the pain that came with it reemerge. The second was after his infection and watching Haos flail about while he couldn't do anything, paralyzed with fear. The third, and by far the worst, involved him and the captain at the last minute, when they were face to face. As they stood, Haos came exploding through the wall beside them and knocked Piers away, snatching the captain up in its deformed, disgusting hands. Piers stared in horror as the captain was crushed in its palm.

A tear began to form in his left eye, but he quickly wiped it away. He had to stay strong for the Captain and if that meant sleep deprivation, so be it. After everything he'd been through, sleeplessness was the least of many evils.

Piers cautiously attempted to move his arm again, but to no avail. The tubes just continued to administer periodic doses of medication into it.

'How long will this last?' Piers asked himself. 'I hate being here. It makes me feel helpless.'

He glanced in the direction of the one window in his room, but did a double-take when he saw an image forming on the glass. At first it was just a formless blob on the pane, but then it gradually took shape into a human-like body. Curious, Piers wondered if having hallucinations was one of the side effects Captain had mentioned.

After a few more seconds, the form had taken the visage of a person. The visage of the Captain.

Without warning, it leapt from the glass and wrapped its hands around Piers' throat. He tried to shout and implore anyone that would listen for help, but it was too late. No sound escaped his mouth.

Suddenly, as if realizing who Piers was, the figure froze, and vanished.

Piers awoke gasping for air. Another dream...he hadn't even realized he had been falling asleep again. This was awful. He couldn't sleep, and he couldn't stay awake. All he could do was sit silence, fearing what would come next. Had he "awoken" in another dream or was he safe? Now he really wished he had talked the Captain into staying with him.

He looked over at a clock hanging on the wall across the room and saw it was only 1:30. Sighing, Piers laid back down. This was close to torture. He caught himself drifting off again and quickly sat back up, postponing the inevitable. He needed sleep, but he knew he could not obtain it.

Finally giving in, Piers laid back once again and shut his eye, trying to ignore the sounds and sights that accompanied his closed eyelid. Before he could experience another terrible dream, he heard a quiet whispering coming from the hallway. Pushing off sleep, Piers listened in.

"What? Chris is where?!"

'The Captain? What was wrong?! Why did the voice sound so frightened?' Piers thought.

"Well, he suffered a fatal wound fighting some J'avo infected by the C-Virus. He suffered a severe wound to his left arm. We injected him with Anti-C so he can fight the infection he most likely received. We are trying to do all we can at our other facility close by, but it looks like he'll be bed-ridden for a few weeks."

'No! No, not the Captain! He's too strong to let those bastards beat him!' Piers started to panic. After everything the Captain had done for him, he was not about to let him go through this alone. Piers knew what it was like to be in a hospital, unable to do anything on your own aside from eat and use the restroom! 'I have to see him. Now.'

Piers tried to move his arms to help him out of bed, but only the left was of any use. His right was still unresponsive. Angrily, he ripped out the tubes leading to his arm and winced as pain shot through it. The bandages had ripped while he did this, and part of his limb was visible.

He couldn't believe what he saw. His skin was pale, but aside from that, it was just as it had been before he lost it. He reached out to touch it and make sure it wasn't just another cruel dream. It was real.

'My God, Jake. You're blood does miracles...' Piers thought gratefully. He didn't have time to think about these things though. He snapped back to reality and took his first steps since he had come to. As expected, he was not steady. He lost his balance and fell, but caught the side of the bed with his left hand and pulled himself back up.

"This is not going to be easy..." Piers muttered to himself.

With a grunt, he stood again, and let go of the bed. He still didn't have his coordination back, but he could at least stay off the floor. Slowly, he made his way to the door.

As he put his hand to the handle, he looked to a chair beside the door. Sitting upon it was his favorite scarf he used while waiting in the sun as a professional sniper. It was tattered and damaged. He could still make out the brown color and the darker lines sewn throughout. He could see damp spots on it and wondered what could have left them. He picked it up with his good arm and held it close to his face. It smelled familiar...where had he smelled that scent before?

"Oh my God..." Piers said, holding back tears yet again. This was the scent he had caught a whiff of when Captain had leaned over him when he first became conscious. The Captain had had his scarf all this time. Now Piers really knew, the Captain really did care about his men. He really did wish to see Piers live, no matter what the cost.

"This is why I admire that man." Piers whispered out loud.

Piers continued to the door, with scarf in hand, and finally exited his room and entered the white, dull hallway of the hospital.

'So where is Captain exactly?' Piers wondered. He hadn't really thought this out very well. He hadn't had much time to think at all lately though...

As if in answer, someone whispered from the next room over, "Section E in the emergency vaccination building." This startled Piers and he looked over one room and saw someone else also sneaking out of their room. It was Jake Muller.

"Jake! Why are you here?" Piers whispered quietly.

"Giving blood for a vaccine to fight a globe-threatening problem can take a lot out of a guy, yaknow?" Jake rebuttled irritably.

"Nice to see you haven't changed." Piers said mockingly.

"Yeah, yeah, blah blah blah nice to see you too. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm outta here! Gotta meet Sherry somewhere. Oh, but do me a favor and don't mention this little escape to anyone okay buckethead?"

Piers sighed, "I hated that name the first time I met you, and I still do. Okay, whatever, just don't do anything stupid. Believe it or not, you're pretty damn important."

With that, Piers snuck off and found a clipboard left on a desk by a doctor. He checked for anyone behind it and grabbed it, looking for a map anywhere. Although what he was doing was shady, it reminded him of old days as a sniper, skulking in the underbrush, catching the enemy by surprise. Except this time, his target was a friend. After a few page flips, he found what he needed and headed out to see his Captain, the scarf still with him.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER III

"Section D is here so Section E must be around this cor-" Before Piers could finish he heard a yell of pain come from a room nearby. 'Captain!' It was unmistakingly him.

"Come on! He's having another episode! Hurry!" Piers heard voices and footsteps closing in. To take cover, he hid behind a door that had been left ajar. He hoped the occupant of the room didn't mind.

Several doctors could be seen from where he was, all rushing into Section E's hallway. Piers didn't know how he was to make it to the Captain with all these doctors running around frantically.

A groan was heard from behind him and Piers turned to see who he was intruding upon. The sheets had been pulled up over their head, and multiple machines were hooked up to the person's body under the covers. More moans came from underneath and Piers grew a little worried. They were getting a more bestial tone to them.

Suddenly, Piers' head began to ache like never before. He grabbed a railing with his left arm and steadied himself from the sudden outburst of pain. Along with it, he saw old images of being surrounded by the zombie-like B.O.W.'s he had fought with his time in the B.S.A.A.

'Why the hell would that happen now?' Piers thought. It hadn't happened before although he knew the familiar headaches. The visions were the foreign part.

The sheets began to move, and the figure shielded underneath them let out more disturbing soughs and groans. Piers was turning to leave and find another place to hide and wait when the form rose, still covered by the sheets. It made a whimpering noise and then laid back onto its bed, unmoving. Piers dared not to speak or budge.

'That...THING...is really creeping the hell outta me!'

At that moment, the body lunged out of bed and onto the floor, a few meters from Piers. The covers had been thrown back and a monster had revealed itself. A J'avo.

"AW SHIT!" Piers shouted and dropped his scarf in shock. This alerted more of the hospital, but he didn't care. Right now he had to kill this thing. It was an infected J'avo and could potentially start an outbreak. Piers looked for a weapon as the creature slinked closer and closer towards him. He saw a scalpel, a needle, and some forceps and that was all that was close at hand.

"Dammit, these are all worthless against this thing!"

The J'avo was only a few feet from Piers and he became worried. He had always had a gun against these bastards!

It jumped at Piers, but Piers' training kicked in. His balance spontaneously returning to him, he dodged the monster and rolled over to the bed. The J'avo had fallen and he needed to act fast. He quickly grabbed a nearby heart rate monitor, ripped the lines out of it, and held it like a polearm. The evil creature had now turned and was looking at Piers with hunger as it crawled to him.

At the last second, Piers smashed its head with the bulk of the machine and blood spattered across the floor.

'Thank God I was never a squeamish person...' Piers thought.

He could now hear doctors outside, and he hid under the bed, praying they would leave when they saw the body. When the footsteps entered the room, he was horrified. Those were no longer doctors. They too, had been infected.

'What the fuck is going on here?!'

The two infected had gathered around the dead body and stooped down...and began to feed. Piers looked away in disgust, but quickly recovered and quietly crawled to the nearby door, grabbing his scarf as he went. While escaping, he heard gun shots and a loud yell. He had no time to waste, whatever was going on, the Captain would know what to do. He wrapped his sniper scarf around his neck, feeling the warmth.

Piers ran through the hallways of Section D, looking into every room as he went. Every time, he was met another grotesque image. Every patient in this section had been turned into a blood-thirsty monster. Why had only this area been affected?

"Section E!" Piers exclaimed. He had finally made it, but he was worried now. Was the Captain infected?

"No, Piers, you can't think like that, just GO!" he told himself. More gun shots were heard. He followed them, hoping to God it was the Captain. When he reached the room the gunshots could be heard from, he looked to the room name.

(Chris Redfield)

Piers had found him! He rushed in, yelling, "Captain! It's me, Piers! Don't shoot!"

"Piers! Holy shit, what the hell's going on here?!" Chris shouted as Piers entered. Several bodies littered the ground, their heads all gone. Chris was leaned against a wall in a hospital garment like Piers' and had a pained expression on his face.

"I have no idea! I was going to ask you that!" Piers answered, now flustered and a little scared. Chris tossed him a Nine-0-nine and Piers caught it. Now he felt empowered again. Although his right arm was still disabled, his left was his shooting arm.

Chris' left arm was bleeding. It wasn't terrible, but blood loss of any kind was bad. THEY were attracted by its scent.

"Captain, we've gotta get out of this hellhole!" Piers implored.

"I know, soldier, but we've got to FIND a way out first!" Chris shot behind Piers and hit an infected that had snuck up behind him. Startled, Piers jumped back and headed towards Chris. Chris put his good right arm around Piers and together, they exited the room, where they were met with a fog with a blue tint crawling across the floor.

"What is this?" Piers wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but I'd bet it's the cause of this outbreak! First things first, Piers, we have to find my weapons and get some clothes. It's too cold to go outside in these outfits. I'm pretty sure they keep my clothes and weapons together anyway. Follow me, I know where the lockers are."

Slowly and quietly, they snuck around the hospital, avoiding any conflict. Piers tried his best to put pressure on Chris' injured arm They both only had one clip of ammo and they weren't going to waste it.

'Where did he get these pistols anyway?' Piers pondered. Right now, he would have to suppress that thought and continue on though.

"There it is." Chris whispered. He pointed to a silver door with a broken handle. "Shit, how are we supposed to get inside?"

Piers looked around for a solution and saw no answer to their problem.

"Captain, I think we have to kick it down and run."

"What?! Are you crazy? Those damned things will be attracted to us like bugs to a light!"

"It's our only chance! We have to grab everything, and run!"

"Alright...I guess that really is all we can do..." Chris said.

Piers knew Chris was upset. The infected were not what bothered him, it was the fact that they were once real people. Loss of life was a ghost of Chris' past he held with him always. Piers felt sorry for the Captain.

"Alright, let's go soldier. Better now than after they find us!" Chris instructed.

They both slowly made their way to the door, and Piers put his hand on it, waiting for Chris' signal that he was ready.

"Now!" Chris whispered loudly.

They both kicked the door with all their might and it was thrown off its hinges, revealing the lockers. Along with the loud clang it made, dozens of screeches arose from the entire hall.

"Go, Piers, we gotta go fast!"

They both rushed in and grabbed everything they saw that could be useful. Chris grabbed an assault rifle and a shotgun and some clothes. Piers snatched up an assault rifle as well and a sniper. With ammo clips, guns, clothes, and first aid sprays in their good arms, Chris and Piers ran from the room. It was hard carrying all of these with one arm each. They both took note of how great it was to have two functional arms.

"Captain, this way!" Piers shouted. He began to head for the end of the hall.

Chris followed close behind, saying "I like the way you think, soldier!"

The end of the hall did not hold stairs or an elevator, there was just a window. They were on the fourth floor, but they'd jumped from higher before. Although his side stung with pain, Chris endured and reached the window with Piers. Looking down, they both noticed a truck underneath filled with fresh sheets and pillow about 10 yards from the hospital.

"It's risky, but are you up for it, Captain?" Piers challenged.

"Don't insult me, Piers." Chris said with a smirk.

They both got a running start and jumped. It was a difficult jump, especially with their good arms full of heavy weapons and clothing, but they landed safely in the truck. Apparently that wing of the hospital had been evacuated and the authorities had been notified as they saw hundreds of cars leaving and choppers and armored trucks arriving.

"Damn, man, that was thrilling." Chris said, impressed by Piers' courage. He still was the brave soldier he remembered. His arm ached like no other, so he released the contents onto the bed of sheets they had landed on, looking at what they had collected.

"Yeah, no kidding. Let's hope it doesn't have to happen again." Piers did the same as Chris. They each picked out the clothes and stripped off the hospital garments, both of which were drenched in sweat. Chris and Piers had both only been wearing underwear beneath the gowns. Their muscles were prominent and stressed after all the exertion. Blushing, they both looked away from each other, and began to redress. Both were now forced to look back upon everything that had happened in the hospital. All the moments of physical contact. Had Chris felt Piers' hand move down his back once? Had Piers felt Chris' hand move across his chest?

Although it was hard to redress with one arm each, Chris and Piers were now redressed. Chris was in a camouflage long-sleeved shirt that was one size too small and some ripped jeans that were one waist size to large. Piers had a navy blue v-neck and some black sweatpants. Luckily, Piers' new garments fit right. To top it all off, Piers had kept the scarf safe and kept it wrapped around his neck.

Chris strapped his shotgun to his back with his belt, put his handgun on his jeans' belt loop, and he held his assault rifle in one hand. Piers did the same with his weapons, his sniper on his back, and his handgun in his pocket. He knew it wasn't a good place but he had no choice.

Piers jumped out of the truck first, Chris soon following suit. Looking around, they realized they were behind the hospital, the parking lot barren.

Chris went back to the hospital in his mind. Piers really was a damn good soldier. He had taken charge when his commanding officer was wounded even though he, himself, was wounded as well. This man was going places.

"So where to now Captain?" Piers asked.

"A good place to start would be to find a phone. HQ needs to know about this."

"So where are we?"

"The hospital parking lot?" Chris asked a little confused.

"No, as in, where in the world?" Piers specified.

"Oh, I forgot you haven't been around too long. Couldn't tell you'd just woken from being unconscious. You've got some damn good instincts, soldier. We're in Europe. The Czech Republic, to be exact. We're fairly close to the European branch's HQ."  
"So that's why so many units were dispatched to this infection site. Well, we had better get away from this God-forsaken place. Who knows when the bombing of the wing will begin? I hope they have the Electric Troops ready to get rid of any cocoons."

"They can handle it. For now, let's find a phone."

They walked away, both unable to shake from their minds the lives that were lost. They acted strong, but they had to. It was the only way to survive against Bioterrorism.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER IV

"Captain...back there..." Piers began

"What about it?" Chris inquired.

"Such a horrific outbreak...and so spontaneous...who could have caused that?"

"Soldier...you've been out for a while."

"I have so many questions! Can you please answer them for me?! So many questions are floating around in my head and things just keep getting more and more complicated and confusing!"

"Piers...ask me any question. I will answer it, like I promised you last time I saw you." Chris was getting worried again. His voice wasn't as sure as it usually was. Piers noticed this.

"I just want to understand. What happened while I was out?" Piers asked.

"A lot soldier...a lot. To start off, I suppose I'll tell you how we got you back. After I was rescued, I immediately called an old friend of mine to search for you. I wasn't ready to lose you. Her name is Jill Valentine. She and I have been working together since the infancy of the B.S.A.A. She's gone through a lot and its made her tough. I knew I could count on her to find you. She got a specialized deep-sea suit and went to look through the wreckage. She said she found you under quite a lot of debris. The only thing that led her to you, was her scanner. It finds traces of the infection and points hem out to her. Your signature was different she says. It was half human, half infected. She thought by then, the virus would have spread to your whole body, but something inside you kept it at bay. If it had, your signature would not have been recognizable and she would have passed right over you. Anyways, she used the suits mechanical arm to remove the debris and finally found you. You were pretty beaten up, but the infected side was laying facing up, protecting you from being crushed."

"So...you're saying the virus protected me, huh? Wow...that's pretty convenient..." Piers said. He wondered what would have happened if he hadn't injected himself. Neither of them would be standing here, probably, if he hadn't. He shuddered at the thought. "So how was I brought back here? And how did they bring me back?"

"Jill brought you back on her ship. Now, the bringing back part is a little confusing..." Chris pondered for a second, "...The virus helped you there as well. Apparently, the virus had spread to your heart and it was keeping it alive and pumping without needing oxygen. We think the infection itself produced blood FOR you. After we got you to the hospital, we hooked you up and injected the Anti-C into your bloodstream. They had to be careful, for if the virus was keeping you alive, they had to get your heart going again as soon as possible after the virus was eradicated. It was a close call, but it worked. After that, it's all medicinal stuff that I don't understand. After a while, your arm began to reform into a normal appendage. They quickly wrapped it up and steadily administered fluid to keep you alive. That reminds me, Piers, how's that arm of yours doing?"

"Actually, I'm getting feeling back, and its getting pinker, which I assume means it's getting blood again." Piers tried moving it at the elbow, but it barely responds. "Not completely operational yet, but at least I can move my fingers."

"And your eye?" Chris wondered.

"It opens and close now, but my vision is a little hazy still. The more I rest, the better it gets. Could we take a break? We already called HQ and I'm dying of exhaustion over here!"

Chris laughed. "Yeah, I'm a little tired too. After all that, anyone would be exhausted."

They both sat and Piers stared ahead, going through more questions, wondering what he should ask next.

"So how is the production of the Anti-C going? How many samples do we have and how fast can it be produced? How effective is it?"

"It's going well, but it's also slow-going. We only have a few samples, but thank goodness most are not kept at the hospital. Losing those samples would have been bad news for the world. Let me explain how it works. The antibodies in Jake Muller's blood are very reactive with other medicinal herbs. When mixed together, they form a liquid that fights infection of the C-Virus. Mainly, we wish to mass-produce this in our headquarters and secretly develop a way to get everyone to take it. If terrorists got their hands on it, they would learn a way to adapt the virus. The vaccine is most effective if taken before infection. After infection, the longer you are infected, the more fatal it is to take the dose. In fact, at J'avo stage, it almost always kills the infectee. In special cases, they survive and revert back to their human form. It takes many weeks, but it's worth the wait. It was risky to give it to you, but after mixing it with Sherry's blood samples, they discovered that a regenerative process began with the infected cells in the body. They were replaced with living cells with an immunity to the virus. So basically, you're now immune to the virus Piers. Most B.S.A.A. agents in Europe have been given this special mix so as to better combat the C-Virus and the terrorists."

"Wow Captain...that's complicated." Piers was bewildered. How did the Captain know this much he wondered.

"Yeah...I did my research on the virus. Funny that I would know so much about it, yet not know much about regular medical procedures."

'Chris is serious about fighting these asshole terrorists...maybe I should research it as much as he has.' Piers thought to himself.

"So back to one of my main question. Who could have done this?" Piers inquired.

"I have no idea, soldier...maybe an inside agent? Maybe a doctor or B.S.A.A. traitor. Perhaps the terrorists enlisted a spy in the staff? Either way, we need to track them down and capture them for interrogation."

"Definitely." Piers was trying to absorb all of this information at once. It was a lot to take in. Piers' vision was clearing and both eyes seemed to be functioning again. His arm was still limp, however. As long as they were safe, he didn't have to worry about it though. "So...um...Captain...I have one more question I need answered."

"Yeah, Piers?" Chris asked curiously.

"Why is it so important I survive? You went through a lot to make sure I stayed safe..."

Chris was taken by surprise. His eyes grew wide for a second and then he turned his head, searching for an exact answer.

"It was...because I wasn't going to lose my best soldier to those monsters! To the Virus! I couldn't bear to lose all of my men...again." Chris answered. His voice was quivering and he had flashbacks to Finn and his squad slowly turning into infected cocoons.

"Oh...well...thank you Captain." On the inside, Piers was swelling with emotions. Pride, a feeling of importance, a happiness to be alive. All of these were dashed when he looked at Chris and saw the tears falling. The Captain tried to hide them when he had turned, but they were still visible when they hit the ground below him and turned the concrete a darker grey. Piers had never seen the Captain like this. He didn't like it.

"Oh Captain I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have..."

"No Piers stop talking. It's okay. I'm going to have to get over the past. I guess focusing on you was a way for me to do that."

"Okay..." Piers walked to where Chris was and noticed the bleeding from his arm had ceased. He was hoping this had been part of the reason for the Captain's tears, but it really had been the images of his men being turned. Piers sat down next to him and put his good arm over Chris' shoulders. Chris looked up into Piers' eyes.

"Soldier, don't worry yourself about me, just focus on the mission." Chris ordered while removing Piers' arm from him.

"Yes, Captain." Piers obeyed. His feelings were back. The same feelings he had felt in the hospital. This time, though, he felt something stronger. He had to obey his commanding officer, though, and pushed these feelings away. "I'm pretty hungry, Captain. How 'bout we go find some nice steaks for dinner." Piers made a weak attempt at a smile.

Chris tried to smile back, but couldn't. He just answered "Yeah, okay," and they left to find a diner.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER V

"Just like I said, hard to find a good steak around here, not like back home." Piers said as he finished his meal. They had only been there for about 10 minutes and already they had both consumed their entire plates-full of steak, vegetables, and fruit. Piers was on his third cup of coffee, Chris on his second.

"You were right, but steak's steak and I was hungry!" They both laughed and stared out the window. It was strange to laugh like this after such a horrid incident, but it was how they coped.

They paid and left the diner, satisfied and revitalized.

"Where to next, Captain?" Piers asked.

"We should head to my apartment here. We can plan on what to do next. Is there anything you need done first though Piers?"

"Actually I do."  
"Really? What is it?"

"I need to ask you, Captain. What other reasons did you have to save me? I know you, and you wouldn't have risked so much to save me unless you wanted me back for an important reason." Piers asked, his curiosity overflowing.

"What do you mean? I had no other reasons, we just really needed you back!" Chris responded. Piers knew better, he pursued his target.

"No, you stayed in the B.S.A.A. even though they recovered my body, why would you do that?" Piers was getting closer to Chris and was getting more demeaning.

"I-I just wanted to make sure I could protect you!" Chris raised his voice in reply.

"Now, see? Right there! You wanted to protect me! Why?!" Piers and Chris were now facing each other and inches away from each other's faces.

"Piers..." Chris began to submit. "I...I don't KNOW why I did...I just had to!"

"Captain, don't hide anything from me! Please! I need to know why I'm ba-"

Piers was cut off. Chris grabbed Piers by the shoulders, and pulled him close, their bodies touching.

"THIS IS WHY!"

Chris pulled Piers' face closer...and their lips locked. Piers melted. He dropped his rifle, as did Chris and he put his arms around Chris' shoulders. Even his right arm. Chris' arms wrapped around Piers' waist and they accepted each other. They both submitted to their feelings and pulled away from each other for a split second and they both admitted,

"I love you."

He knew it know, his feelings had been getting stronger. His face was a beet red. Piers had been waiting for this without realizing it. He...did love Chris. And Chris loved him.

Piers never wanted to let go. He never wanted to remove his lips from Chris'.

Chris never wanted to let go. He never wanted to remove his lips from Piers'.

They stood like that for several minutes, ignoring the weight of the guns on their backs. Piers felt the spark that had been waiting to be ignited course through his body. Time felt as if it had stopped.

As they pulled away and time resumed itself, Piers saw the tears welling in Chris' eyes again.

"Captain, what's wrong?!" Piers asked, concerned. Had he done something wrong? He hadn't kissed anyone in a while, but he didn't think he would be that rusty...

"Nothing Piers...Now? Nothing at all." Chris smiled at Piers and grabbed the back of his neck. He pulled Piers' sweet face close and kissed him again. Chris thought he had sensed the passion resonating in Piers' voice and he had acted upon it. He could not be happier that he did.

Reluctantly, Chris released Piers, breathing deeply as he did so. They had really gotten into that kiss. Right now, though, they needed to track this terrorist down. These moments could wait.

"Captain, I-...wow..." What had just happened hit Piers. "I can't believe we just..."

"Yeah Piers...we did." Chris replied with a grin.

Piers hugged Chris tightly and said, "Thank you."  
"For what?" Chris' face had begun to turn red as well.

"For loving me. Without you, I wouldn't be here."  
"Don't mention it, Piers." Chris accepted the embrace and wrapped his arms around Piers' back.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER VI

Piers and Chris walked up the steps in front of Chris' apartment building. Piers had to keep himself from hugging the Captain again. Although he wanted to feel Chris' arms around him again, he had to contain himself. The mission came first. For now, their emotions had to be put in check. They had entered a shady part of town and Piers had been gripping his gun a little tighter. He was thankful he had both arms now.

"Captain, why do you live in such a run-down building?" Piers couldn't help from ask. "Has the B.S.A.A. made some pay cuts?"

Chris chuckled, "No, Piers. I live here so I'm not made a target. Now come on, it might not look like the most livable place, but it holds something very important. This is my 'base of operations' you could say."

The men climbed more stairs up to the third floor. Stopping near the end of the hallway, Chris pulled out a room key and slipped it into the scanner on the last door to the right. Piers could make out voices coming from the other side. The Captain showed no signs of alarm so he didn't ask about them.

With a click and a quiet beep, the door slid open. The voices could be heard clearly now and they had the higher pitch of females.

"Chris, is that you?" Piers heard one ask.

"Yeah, Sheva, it's me. I brought a friend!"

As Piers and Chris walked into the apartment's central living room, two women could be seen sitting on the couch. One had a dark olive colored skin tone, the other, a paler white. The dark-skinned woman was wearing a pair of tan jeans with combat heels and a purple tanktop. She had pitch-black hair and it was pulled back into a messy ponytail. Everything the paler woman was wearing was blue aside from her leather boots. Blue skin-tight jeans, a sky-blue top, and a blue beret to match her shirt. Her hair was a dirty blonde pulled back in a neater fashion.

"Chris! Nice to see you're breathing!" The paler woman exclaimed. "I'd thought you'd run off and gotten yourself killed! Gotta be honest, when we heard of the infection in the hospital, I got a little worried. Guess you've still got a little fight in ya!"  
"Jill, your words of encouragement are inspiring." Chris said, putting his hand over his heart mockingly.

So this was Jill, the woman who had saved him? He was surprised to see she was so fit. He half-expected a woman in a lab coat leaned over a desk. She must have multiple talents.

"Hey, Sheva, you look happy to see me." The Captain pointed out.

"Sorry, it's a little harder to be excited when you're scared half to death and have been up for hours researching." Sheva snapped back. She had bags under her eyes and Piers wondered what she was researching that called for sleep deprivation.

"Well I apologize for the inconvenience, Mrs. Alomar. I shall refrain from going to the hospital in the future."

"Good God, Chris shut up and get over here!" Sheva got up and spread her arms, waiting for a hug.

"If it calms you down and gets you to sleep, alright!" Chris walked over and hugged her. "So, I'd like you to meet Piers. He's the best soldier I've ever had serve under my command. He's part of the reason I'm still here. If he hadn't come to find me in the hospital, I wouldn't have made it out!" Chris strolled over to Piers and set a hand on his shoulder. "Piers, I'd like you to meet Sheva Alomar, and Jill Valentine. You've heard of Jill before. Sheva's a good friend. We worked together to fight Wesker in Africa. She's reliable, and also one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. Gotten me out of quite a few scrapes before with that big brain of hers." Chris gave her a kind smile, showing his gratitude.

"It's very nice to meet the both of you!" Piers said a little too anxiously. He wasn't good with meeting new people, and he never had been. Blushing, Piers bowed his head in an attempt to hide his reddening cheeks. Having the Captain standing so close and with the hand of approval on his shoulder made him think of how much Chris actually appreciated him and his brave actions. Piers' face got even hotter as he thought of these things.

Sensing the tension in Piers' voice, Sheva tried to help him relax, "Don't worry about first impressions, little guy, we've heard stories from Chris and you already deserve our thanks. Calm down and take a seat. I'll fetch you some tea to help your nerves." Sheva finished with a genuine smile as she left the room for the beverage.

Following Sheva's advice, Piers rested his exhausted body on the couch that was surprisingly comfortable. With an inhale Piers picked up that familiar scent associated with home. He felt safe. Not just because of the smell, of course, but the people also in the apartment were all heros, and they all accepted him as a fellow hero...which felt very strange to Piers. Even after all he had done, he still didn't feel right about any praise sent in his direction.

Jill plopped down beside Piers with as little grace as possible.

"So, "soldier," how do you feel?" She asked.

"Better than being at the bottom of the ocean that's for damn sure." Piers said seriously. Jill took this as a joke though and let out a hearty laugh. He could smell the alcohol on her breath and wondered how much she had had. Was she really that worried about Chris, but wouldn't show it?

'She must really want to be seen as a hard-ass.' Piers thought. He had to hand it to her though, she did seem to handle the drinks well.

"Well, it's good to have you back with the living and breathing, kid!" She slapped Piers on the back harder than most women would. "Vertical and ventilatin' as I always say, is the best way to be."

This made Piers chuckle and helped him calm down a bit more, his face returning to its original color.

"Who's thirsty?" Sheva inquired as she entered the room with a tray holding some steaming tea in a pitcher and four small cups. All three others raised there hands without hesitation. Piers hadn't really noticed before now...but he was cold. Maybe being with the Captain had distracted him seeing as he always felt warm around him, but now that he had sat down, the sensation set in. Sheva quickly served them all, giving them each in turn the amounts of sugar they wanted. Piers liked his tea sweet so he scraped up a few spoonfuls. After stirring it, Piers took a sip, savoring the taste as the liquid heat slipped down his throat warming him from the inside out. He closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling, revelling in it. It felt so good to feel. You never realize how much you take for granted until you lose it. In this case, Piers was grateful for life and all the feelings that came along.

"Thank you, Mrs. Alomar." Piers said after he was finished with his cup.

"Oh, Piers, please call me Sheva! No formalities here, I don't care how awkward you feel!" She replied with a giggle.

Piers blushed again, "I'm sorry...I'm just used to being younger and having to use titles like that..."

"Well why's that, kid?" Jill prodded. Piers cringed. He hated being called a kid. He was 26 after all.

"From an early age, my family never really got used to each other. That is, no one felt comfortable since we were all so different. Except me and my mother. We were inseperable until the day she passed. We were a lower-middle class family so we didn't live with many luxuries, but we survived and that was all that mattered. My father, although he never recieved proper education, worked with many wealthier people. He was a deliveryman. Not a glorious job, but it payed bills. My brother never really came out of his room. When he did, he would barely say a word to any of us. It wasn't until later that I figured out why...he was secretly fighting a battle inside of himself. I'll leave that story for later. My mother never could keep a job because she was always getting sick. Her immune system got even worse as she aged. One day, because of her condition, my Dad betrayed her. She couldn't satisfy him, so he cheated with a rich woman he had met working...and I never forgave him. He left us for the lavish lifestyle when I was 14. My mother was devestated. Luckily, she had also made many friends in the upper class at dinner parties and such. They supported us the best they could. We lived better than we ever did with that bastard...I took care of my mother until she died a week before her 50th birthday. I was 18 then. It was because I grew up around so many wealthy people that I learned the habit of always using proper titles. After she passed, I didn't know what to do anymore. My brother had disappeared and with mother gone, I didn't have anyone else to care for. That's when I heard of the BSAA. I had always excelled in physical education at school and had to learn how to defend myself in our neighborhood, so I looked into it, and joined soon after my mother's passing."

Piers realized how long he had talked and how he had just poured out his heart to 2 strangers and his commanding officer. With embarassment obvious in his face, he tried to apologize for this, but he was met with a surprise. His Captain sat beside him, wrapped one arm around his shoulders, and landed a kiss right on Piers' cheek.

Pressing their foreheads together, Chris told Piers, "Don't worry, soldier, that's enough for now. There's no need to apologize, though. We all need times to vent. This was just yours."

Jill laughed obnoxiously loud, and Sheva soon joined in. This was met with a confused look from both men.

"What's so funny?" Chris asked with an irritable tone.

Jill stopped laughing long enough to say, "You two!"  
Piers' asked, "What do you mean?" He was a little insulted that they found the act of affection funny. He had been afraid there for a second they would have been met with gasps of disgust or something of the sort. It had scared him a little when the Captain had pecked him on his cheek.

"It's just too cute!" Sheva exclaimed trying to explain herself. "Both Jill and I have been getting suspicious of Chris as of late. The way he talked about you and how his face relaxed and lit up when we spoke about your progress hinted a little at his true feelings. It's just nice to see we were right!" She finished with a wink.

Piers looked up at his superior. "Captain?"

Chris gave them a mean glare, but instantly snapped back to attention when he heard Piers' voice. "Well...they don't lie, I guess." Now Chris was blushing.

With a chuckle, Piers leaned up and placed a gentle kiss against the Captain's lips. Both of them just sat there, hugging each other tight. Jill and Sheva just "aw'd."

"Now I don't mean to break up such a heartwarming scene, but don't we have a job to do?" Jill asked forcefully.

"Of course we do! Maybe it could wait till tomorrow though. I'm sure the BSAA is looking into the incident as we speak! Just thought maybe I'd get this little fact out in the open before someone walked in on an awkward display!" Chris said, pointing at Piers.

"Captain!" Piers shot back. He laughed as he pushed Chris away playfully.

"Yeah, keep it in your pants 'till me and Sheva are OUT of the room please!" Jill retorted, a smirk flashing on her face.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER VII

"Alright! Up and at 'em you two!" Jill yelled in the doorway of the room Chris and Piers shared. Groggily, Piers got up and covered his bare chest with a yellow shirt, keeping on his sweatpants from the night before. He walked over to Chris' still slumbering body and gave him a good poke in the side. They had kissed and brought it to the girls' attention, but they didn't share a bed yet. Piers was kind of glad though. A complicated relationship didn't need to get any more difficult and sharing a bed probably would make things confusing.

Chris hadn't shifted one inch since Piers had jabbed him. With a devilish grin, Piers formulated a devious plan. He grabbed the sheets below Chris, and yanked with all his might. With a muffled shout, Chris was thrown over onto the floor in a heap. Piers was trying, but failing at hiding his laughter. Slowly, a hulking figure rose from the floor, covered in sheets. Piers could tell he was still processing what had just happened.

"What the hell?!" Chris shouted as he threw the covers off his body. This just made Piers laugh harder and louder as his hair was now a disheveled mess. The confused look on the Captain's face was hilarious!

"Well, you can't just sleep through the day, lazy-ass!" Piers playfully scolded.

When Chris' eyes met Piers', the distressed expression left his face only to be replaced with a grin. "Oh, you think this is funny, huh?" Chris leapt across his own bed and tackled Piers onto the floor overrun with clean clothes and covers. Caught by surprise, the younger man gasped and fell with the muscular frame determined to get him off his feet. After wrestling for a few moments, both men tumbled over with Chris on top of Piers in a compromising position. Their laughter dying away, Piers looked up at Chris, taking in every detail. He inspected every muscle and their movements, as Chris was shirtless, slowly tracing his way up to the Captain's face. When their eyes met, Piers smiled and stroked Chris' cheek.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Mornin', soldier!"

Piers stretched his neck and placed a kiss on Chris' lips, savoring the feeling of his tough skin. Although it was strange to be called soldier in such a situation, it comforted the young male. Chris looked back lovingly and stroked Piers' hair, enjoying the moment.

Jill's voice resounded through the apartment, "Didn't you hear me?! Up and at 'em!"

With a sigh, Chris rose and helped Piers to his feet as well. "Yeah, yeah! We're comin'!"

As they arrived in the tiny kitchen, Sheva looked up from some notes she had been reviewing and gave a nod to both of them, her mouth full of a bagel smeared with cream cheese.

"Morning!" Chris and Piers said in unison.

"Nice of you to grace us with your presence!" Jill said sarcastically.

"Shut up and make me food!" Chris threw back jokingly.

"Not a good idea to talk to a woman with a knife in her hand like that." She snickered. She found herself hilarious, as Piers had noticed. With a chuckle, Piers just grabbed a bagel sitting on the counter and sat next to Sheva.

"So how did you sleep, kid?" Sheva wondered.

Ignoring that last word, Piers answered. "Pretty well, granted I had a bear sleeping in the same room as me! Hard to feel threatened or anything with a guy like Chris with you."  
Chris and Jill had continued with their comebacks until Chris heard his name. "What was that? What am I?"  
Both Sheva and Piers smiled. "Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it!"

"So, what's on the agenda today, Sheva?" Chris asked.

"Well, I've been looking over some notes Claire sent me over fax while we were talking and-"  
"Wait, Claire contacted you?!" Chris exclaimed. "Why didn't she talk to me? I haven't spoken with her in weeks!"

"It's hard to get someone's attention when they're all over their new crush, Chris. I just told her you were busy with a friend and hung up the phone before she could ask about whom."

"Wha-? Well...I just!..." Chris' faces was getting red and so was Piers'.

"Don't worry, teddy bear, she said she'd be checking in pretty frequently. You'll get to talk to her soon." Jill teased.

"I think Jill runs her mouth a little too much for her own good!" Chris snapped. She just laughed out loud and went back to her coffee.

"Are they always like this?" Piers whispered to Sheva.

"Only all the time. They're like siblings, always bickering back and forth. You know, pushing each other's buttons constantly."

"Oh...they don't come to blows, do they?"

"Oh no, no, Piers! Maybe a little wrestling, but rarely ever do they actually injure each other. She may not look it, but Jill knows how to handle herself. Even against a hulk like Chris."  
Piers looked with admiration at his Captain. He might be some awesome commander on the field, but he was also a normal man. Even his regular traits were worthy enough to be admired.

"Anyway, Chris, about these notes. It looks to me like the terrorist responsible for the outbreak in the hospital was arrested, but escaped on his transport to the Czech division's prison. It doesn't bode well, as they aren't sure if he has any doses stowed on his person anywhere."  
"What?!" Piers shouted. "How can you act so calm with that kind of news?!"

"Whoa, Piers that's not the end of it. Just calm down." Sheva coaxed. "It also says that the strain of virus he used is outdated and a vaccine has already been administered to those surviving and to the infected found in the hospital. As it was old G-Virus type, most people around these parts have received the vaccine, making them immune to such strains. That isn't to come without alarm I know, but the BSAA has sent multiple teams in to find him."

"Still! What if he finds those few not immune to it! Aren't you at least a little worried of what might happen?"

"Piers!" Chris said sternly. This made the soldier cringe. "Sheva knows the gravity of the situation. We all do. Don't forget who you're talking to."

"Yes, Captain...I just wasn't sure-"

"It's alright, Piers. You've been out longer than you think. Infections these days are common and unfortunately, that means not much shock comes from such cases anymore from BSAA agents. Of course we're working hard to eradicate such ignorant actions, but for now, we have to focus on the large-scale and dangerous outbreaks.

"Oh...alright..." Piers didn't like hearing this. Infections being common? It wasn't a welcome idea...

"So did anything else show up in Claire's reports, Shev?"

"No, that's all she knows. She says she'll keep us updated with any news she hears about it."  
"Good. Then for now, we can...um...kinda relax."

An almost inaudible series of rings came from a cell phone on the counter. Jill picked it up and answered the incoming call.

"Hello? Yeah this is Jill...Sherry...Sherry calm do-...yes they're fine just...SHERRY! Would you let me talk!" Jill let out a sigh. "The infection wasn't as bad as it looked. Only one wing of the hospital was affected. Chris and Piers are both safe here at the apartment with Sheva and I. Who told you about all this?...Oh Jake was there?!"

"Oh yeah, he's the one who pointed me in the right direction to find the Captain!" Piers remembered.

"Oh great, we owe that brat another favor now...Sorry Sherry I'm still here. Yeah, you take care too. Make sure to keep that man under control, alright?" Jill hung up the phone with a click and put it in her pocket. "Well, you can probably tell who that was and what it was about."

"Yeah, we could almost hear her the whole time. That girl gets riled up faster than anyone I know." Chris observed.

"She just cares a little too much. Poor girl. Now Chris, you'd better go change before this little guy drools all over himself." Sheva pointed out nonchalantly.

"What? I wasn't drooling!" Piers exclaimed defensively.

With a deep laugh, Chris left the room, heading off to dress.

"I thought I was being discreet!" Piers pouted, looking across at Sheva who just giggled and went back to her papers.

"Piers, you can't hide much from that woman. Intelligence isn't her only ace card." Jill explained.

After another bagel and a cup of his own coffee, Piers watched Chris re-enter. He had put on some dark jeans with a black cloth belt and a black turtleneck. He had also fixed his pillow-head. He looked good. Real good.

Piers averted his eyes, trying to hide his interest so Sheva wouldn't embarrass him again.

"I've got an idea, guys." Chris suddenly spoke up. "Since we don't have much to worry about, why don't we have some fun today. Kind of a 'welcome back' celebration for this guy!" Chris ruffled Piers' hair.

"Sounds great! When it gets late, we can go bar hoppin'!" Jill suggested.

"Or we could go by the river! I love it there. It's always so beautiful at night." Sheva countered.

"I'm not sure if a bar is a good place for you, Jillian." Chris said with a snicker. "The river sounds great! How about it Piers. Up for some fun?"

"My idea of fun is shooting at targets on a gun range...but oh what the heck. Some sunlight wouldn't kill me, would it?" Piers said cheerfully.

Chris helped Piers to his feet. "Then go get on some clothes, and we'll be off! You can borrow some of mine...though I'm not sure what will fit you..."

"He could always wear try wearing some of my skinny-jeans! Wouldn't you like that Chris!"

Piers just leaned against a wall as he spectated the vocal war that was about to break out. Chuckling to himself, Piers eventually got himself off the wall and headed to the room, ready for some fun with friends.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER VIII

The large and beat-up truck eased to a stop just outside a building that was overflowing with people. Its silver exterior drew some attention, but most of the patrons were too distracted by alcohol or another person's body to care.

'This must have been Jill's idea...' Piers thought. Only she would enjoy a place like this.

"Alright girls, out ya go!" Chris said to Piers' surprise. So they weren't staying?

"Now don't go run off with him, alright Piers? Don't know what I'd do without this big lug around!" Jill teased.

Sheva laughed and followed Jill out of the car with a short farewell. Piers had never seen Sheva as the party type even though he'd only known her for a few days now.

"So, Captain, what are we doing? Aren't we going to join them?" Piers was a little nervous to be alone with Chris. Being cute with him was nice and all, but he didn't know if he could control himself if Chris tried anything to...intimate.

Piers got his answer as the hulking vehicle pulled away from the curb, once again merging with traffic.

"Nah, Piers. I want to take you on a 'date' of sorts. We gotta make this official!" Chris laughed, making Piers turn red. He had actually never thought about dates. He just enjoyed being with Chris in general and anything else was just a bonus. A date was a welcome idea now that he thought about it.

"Alright, I'll play along. Where exactly is this 'date' going to be?" Piers inquired. He was curious to see what the Captain had tucked under his sleeve. Maybe he was giving the man too much credit. Chris didn't strike him as the romantic type. He was soon proved wrong.

"I was thinking a stroll by the river. I love the lights there that reflect off the water. I've got a special dinner cooked and ready in a special place that I always adored as a teenager. I was hoping that when you were done eating, we could go somewhere else. That one's a surprise though so you'll have to wait. See I've been a visitor in this town numerous times. I bet you I know almost every secret paradise in this town. Claire knows all of them though. She was always better with those kinds of things..."

"So...who is Claire exactly?" Piers still had no idea who she was. Her name seemed familiar and it had been killing him since Sheva had mentioned her name earlier that day.

"Claire Redfield. One of the most dedicated friends I could ever ask for...and if you didn't guess, she's also my sister. She's a leading researcher who makes her living fighting against the sick viruses those terrorist bastards spread through the populations around the world. She's one of the scientists who helped you, Piers. When she heard I needed help with you, she rushed in by plane to see you." Chris' voice swelled with every sentence. He was obviously immensely proud of her.

"Oh! Well it looks like I have two Redfields to thank then!" Piers smiled and laid back in his seat. He felt special; like maybe...he had a family again. "Is this the spot where our walk starts?" Piers asked as the truck slowed once again.

"Yeah, it is. I hope you're ready for some cold. There's a breeze that always comes from the river and it gets chilly." Chris asked, concerned. "Where's your jacket?"

"Shit...I think I left it back at the apartment!" Piers swore he had grabbed it.

"That's alright. You can just wear mine. This thing might be a bit too big, but it'll keep you warm. Now don't look at me like that Piers, I won't let you refuse this. I have on my turtleneck, I'll be fine. You on the other hand, need warmth. Don't think I haven't noticed the way you've been shivering in that seat of yours." Chris leaned across the gap between their places and helped Piers into the large covering. It was about 3 sizes too large.

"Good God this jacket's almost burning me! Do you just radiate heat or something Captain?" Piers said with a hearty laugh. He wasn't going to refuse the gesture, after all. He knew it meant too much to Chris.

"Alright, now that you're cozy, why don't we start?"

The view was breathtaking. As Piers walked beside his Captain, he glanced over the rails at the spectacular lights that were dancing in the water. The ripples just made the mystifying glow that much more intense. Piers let out a quiet "whoa" and kept walking, completely captivated by the aquatic light show.

"Enjoying the view?" Chris pondered aloud, snapping Piers back to attention.

"Hell yeah! It's amazing how that bridge and the houses on the opposite shore shine so brilliantly! Of course, the view to my left isn't half bad either." Piers said with a wink. Chris chuckled and wrapped his right arm around Piers' shoulders, squeezing tight.

For the rest of their venture down the river-side, neither of them spoke. They just enjoyed being together. Chris was resting his cheek on Piers' perfect-as-usual hair, and Piers was savoring every breath as he smelled Chris' cologne wafting from his chest. Piers spied a small closed off area. It was enclosed in a fence, but judging by the way Chris had just squeezed him tighter and let go, this was their next destination. Without hesitation, Chris jumped on the fence and quickly made his way to the top and landed on the other side with a thud.

"Come on! I want to show you something!" Chris called from the other side.

Doing as he was told, Piers climbed the barrier with only a bit of difficulty from the oversized jacket getting caught on loose wire. When he was finally over, Chris took his hand and impatiently tugged him in the direction of what looked like a cliff.

"Captain, what-" Piers started to ask.

"Do you trust me?" Chris blurted.

"O-of course I do, but-"

"Well then jump with me."

"Jump with you?! Are you insane?!"

"Piers, I thought you trusted me."

"That was before I knew you had completely lost it!"

"Listen. Would I ever let you get hurt? After what happened, do you honestly think I would risk your life for the sake of a quick thrill?"

"I suppose not..."

"Then jump with me."

"...Okay Captain...I will."

Piers closed his eyes and bent his knees as they reached the edge of the earthen shelf. With a quick inhale, he felt his feet leave the ground and felt the wind against his face, numbing him with its freezing cold touch. Piers thought minutes had passed when his feet his solid ground again. In reality, it had only been a couple seconds.

"Captain?" Piers asked into air, getting no response. He realized the other man's hand had left his wrist. He began to panic, repeatedly shouting Chris' name.

"Piers! What are you waiting for? Get your ass over here!" Chris' voice came from around a corner. Piers looked down in surprise as he just noticed he was still on stable rock. He had lived. He had trusted Chris. A narrow path bent around the corner of the cliff and Piers assumed that's where the Captain's voice had come from.

Being careful not to look down, Piers shuffled his way across the path jutting from the side of the precipice. When he felt the way widen with his feet, he opened his eyes he had apparently closed. God Piers hated heights.

"There you are!" Chris exclaimed. He was sitting on a worn, navy blue blanket with a bag beside him. It resembled the bags pizza boys used to keep the food warm. Piers guessed that was where the feast was hidden away.

"Relax right here." Chris said while patting the blanket beside him. He started grabbing the contents of the bag and placing them in front of him. There was steak, steamed veggies, and a thermos full of some sweet-smelling tea. Mesala maybe?

"I know how much you like steak and your greens, so I made 'em with garlic sauce and my own blend of spices. I hope you like it!" Chris gestured towards the food he had put on plates shining with cleanliness.

"Captain, I...this is fantastic!" Piers couldn't help the tears from welling in his eyes though.

Taking notice, Chris stood, alarmed. "What's wrong? Are you allergic to garlic? Damnit, I knew I should have stayed away from things like that! So many people are allergic to it and I-"

But Chris didn't get to finish his rant as Piers' hands grasped his shoulders and pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss. The tears kept streaming and Piers couldn't stop them.

"I'm in awe at how much trouble you went to...I mean...how I could ever find someone like you is amazing. Even as this sick monster, you love me. I can't comprehend it." Piers wondered.

"What are you talking about? All of your scars have healed and you have control of your arm and eye back. How can you consider yourself a monster?" The muscular man wiped the tears from Piers' cheeks and lifted his chin so he could admire his beautiful green eyes.

"That's not it. I'm an evil creature on the inside. I've put you through hell and yet you still choose to love me! I don't deserve you Chris! You're perfect. Perfect smile, personality...body...and look at me! Sure I look normal on the outside, but I don't even know what my inside looks like...literally! Who's to keep this thing from coming back! Who's to keep me from hurting others! I've felt this strange urge dozens of times. The urge to just go crazy. To pull you in and completely take you, to punch people that annoy me, and to completely chug a jug of alcohol to numb any pain I might be feeling. Something inside me has changed and I don't know what's happening. I'm scared."

"That's enough." Chris stern voice startled Piers. "Shut up."

"W-what?" Piers stuttered.

"Stop that right now. I don't want to hear that shit from you. You think I did all these things for a monster? No, I did it for a man I love. Yeah, you heard me. I love you Piers. Stop trashing yourself and look at me. Look at me!" Chris shouted this last sentence and Piers cringed. The ex-soldier looked up reluctantly and was met with a look he was not expecting. A face of compassion.

That was all Piers could take though. Suddenly, his arm burned like lava had just been poured on top of it. With a shriek of agony, Piers threw himself back against the rock face and arced his back from the pain. Alarmed and scared, Chris tried to approach the younger man, but in vain. For at that moment, Piers' right arm began to spark and pulse violently. Piers' entire body was soon covered in mini lightning bolts. Chris fell backwards and landed on the edge.

"Piers, what's happening?! Piers, can you hear me?!" Chris screamed as loud as his lungs allowed. "Come back! Don't lose this fight!"

Piers was now on the brink of blacking out from the pain. Right before he went under, he heard a scream and felt an exceptionally powerful bolt shoot from his arm that had somehow kept its shape. The last thing Piers felt was his body falling as the bluff they had been standing crumbled from underneath them. The darkness enveloped Piers completely as he thought to himself.

'God help us.'


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER IX

Chris awoke from his nightmares. The last things he remembered were a flash of blue and his own shouts for Piers as the earth beneath them crumbled and fell, taking them with it. Piers! Where was Piers! Chris shot up from his resting place shaking the sand off his clothes. He was on the beaches that had rested below them just hours before. Night had completely engulfed the area now and the lights of the city to the West had diminished in number. In a panic, Chris urgently searched for his partner.

He ran up and down the shore of the small area he had been deposited in. He climbed the rocks that had formed a heap after tumbling down with him to check the beach on the opposite side, but to no avail.

Frantic now, Chris ran into the cold water screaming, "Piers! Piers! Answer me, damnit, where are you?!" His voice grew more and more strained with every exclamation. The waves crashing along the shore and the rocks jutting from the watery depths were deafening, however, and they drowned out Chris' screams for his lover. "Fuck! What the hell just happened?" He stood, rubbing his forehead, trying to remember if anything Piers had said anything to lead him to where he might have gone if he was alright, but his head was in too much of a daze to be of any assistance.

He was beginning to panic, and as an experienced agent, he knew that was dangerous. Too many times before had he lost men to his own emotions. Piers had told him that his personal vendettas never got him or his men anywhere. As Piers' former Captain, he would not let something like that happen again. With a deep breath Chris searched for the nearest escape route. He wasn't doing anyone good staying down here.

Nearby, a narrow incline was visible. It led up the cliff face at an acute angle, making it risky to take, but no other way seemed possible right now. After another breath of air, Chris made his way to the exit. It took a few seconds for him to secure his feet at the beginning of the path. He tested each step cautiously, first prodding it and then exerting his full weight upon it. He continued in this way until he could reach his hands up and pull himself over the top of the slope. Finally out of that mess, Chris turned his attention to the beaches below him.

"Shit...I don't see Piers anywhere!" Chris muttered to himself, exasperated. This was not good. That episode didn't bode well. Piers had made a good point. What WAS keeping him from mutating back? Chris had to find him before anything like that happened.

Chris ran with determination to the truck they had left sitting beside the walkway leading to the spot that had betrayed him. He checked his phone for the time and to see if maybe Piers had let him know where it was he was headed. His heart stopped for a split second when the words "one new message" lit up on the screen. Eagerly, he opened the text, but swore to himself as he read the name "Sheva."

It read, "Jill had a little too much to drink...again. She got in a fight and was thrown out. I'll take her home. I'll see you there. ~Sheva."

"You've GOT to be KIDDING ME!" Chris yelled with all the air left in his lungs. The one night he trusted Jill to take care of herself, and she fucks it up! Now he was pissed as well as worried. He got in the vehicle, started the engine, and backed out. His face was fraught with worry, and so was his heart. "Damnit, Piers! Why would something like this happen? Where the hell are you?!" He grumbled to himself. The thought of losing the young man was...too much to bear.

Chris drove through every street he thought he saw someone standing on searching for the lost one. With every disappointment, Chris felt the sting behind his eyes grow worse. He wasn't going to cry because Piers was perfectly fine. He had to be. He was a tough man, he could handle himself. Right?

Suddenly, Chris saw a streak of light come from a few blocks over. It shot into the sky and parted the clouds before disappearing.

"Piers! Hold on, I'm coming!" Chris said to the empty seat beside him.

Chris took a shortcut through a back alleyway so he could reach his destination faster. Soon, though, the alley grew too narrow, and Chris was forced to exit and continue on foot. His legs had never moved him faster before.

Another bolt trailed across the sky, this time only a few dozen meters from where Chris was, he turned a corner and was met with a terrifying sight.

Piers. But his arm was not his arm. It was that infected mass that Chris thought he had seen the last of a long time ago. Even more terrifying was the ring of thugs that were surrounding him. They all bore the emblem with a scorpion in an offensive position. That looked strangely familiar, but Chris didn't care. They all had their laser sights on Piers, and that meant they were the enemy. Chris took his hiding place behind a dumpster a mere 3 feet from the nearest evil man. His dark clothes concealed him and he listened in.

"What the hell is this...thing?" One of the men uttered to the others.

"I don't know, and I don't care. We're getting paid millions for the body of these kinds of monsters. We've done it before, don't act surprised now." Another answered.

So they were being paid to do this. Bastards had chosen the wrong man to fuck with.

Chris took a chance and grabbed the legs of the man closest to him and yanked them from underneath him, slamming his head on the pavement. Now unconscious, he stole the gun from the man's hands and took cover behind the dumpster once again as the men had turned their attention to him. Piers looked equally as surprised.

"Who's there?! Who do you think you're messing with?" The man farthest from Chris' hiding spot piped up.

Chris replied, "No. You have no idea who YOU'RE dealing with. Step away from that man right now, or you'll all get lead in your heads."

"Who are you to be threatening us?" The same man shot back.

"I'm the man who will end you if you don't listen to me. Back away now." Chris threatened.

"Fuck that! Guys, swarm him!" the supposed leader gave a call to arms.

The men made a dash toward his position, but Chris was well-trained. He stuck his head out just far enough to see they were inexperienced. They had formed a funnel. With a single shot, Chris tripped up the youngest member in front by shooting his shin and several others fell after him. Others strafed to the side and began firing at him. A single bullet grazed Chris' cheek and blood trickled down his face. The onslaught of bullets continued as they closed in on his location. Chris' heart started racing and his feral-like instincts kicked in. Chris put his gun around the barrier separating them and the men had to scatter, giving him the chance to take down the few that scattered into his field of vision on the opposite wall. Well-placed shots in their skulls silenced them.

"He's just one man! Take him down you worthless piece of shit!" The roughest looking man growled with anger. Good, they were getting frustrated. Suddenly, a grenade landed inches from where Chris was sitting. With a swear under his breathm he swiftly lobbed it back. It detonated only seconds after he returned it. Guessing form the sound of panic, several more had been slain.

Then a blue light illuminated the darkness. Chris heard more shrieks of pain as Piers killed the remaining grunts. Chris exited his hiding place and held his gun up and trained it on the leader's head. He was bald and was missing one eye. A scar ran across his face at an angle that ran across the place his eye used to be. He wore the same black leather clothes his subordinates had been sporting, but he had a tattoo on his neck of a scorpion in the same position as on the emblem.

"Fuck...one man and a mutant bested us. Boss isn't gonna like this...oh well. As long as I'm still breathin' I don't give a shit." he said with the cockiness aparrent in his voice. "Time to try this new stuff out!" He drew a needle from his pocket containing a glowing red liquid and injected it into his neck. Chris started to shoot, but his bullets only ricocheted off the leader's skin. This new virus worked fast.

With a maniacal laugh that filled the area with its echo, the man burst into flames. "NOW YOU ASSHOLES WILL LEARN WHAT ITS LIKE TO MESS WITH US!"

Chris was nervous. He had never seen someone inject themselves like this on purpose. Not with a virus he didn't understand anyway. Any other time, he had known the side effects of the dose and how to counter it. This time, though, he had was clueless.

The man's skin and muscles split, taking organs and all with them. His skeleton became visible...this was repulsive. The skin and muscles quickly recovered his systems, however, and the man's former body reappeared. It slumped over and stood motionless. Chris looked at Piers for the first time since the fight had initiated and he looked terrified. His arm had started to revert back, but it was still touching the ground beneath him. Chris had to protect him, no matter what.

Without warning, the newly-infected man lunged at Chris, his arms moving at the speed of sound. Chris just barely managed to dodge the attack and kicked the man in the side as he passed. He was thrown aside with the force, but staggered to his feet chuckling. This seemed similiar to the strain Wesker had taken. At least now he knew how to counter his offenses.

He turned at a 90 degree angle and faced Piers. Piers backed up slowly, but he advanced at the same pace. Chris ran as fast as his legs would carry him toward the man, ramming him. He let out a scream of pain as his shoulder hit the man. It had managed to throw him off his feet, but his exterior was like steel. That was gonna leave a bruise for sure.

"You're just pissing me off, tough guy. I would run if I was you. I'm here for this runt, not you." The evil being warned.

"If you're here for him, you're screwing with me too." Chris snarled back.

"Suit yourself, asshole." The leader shrugged his shoulders and shot forwards at Chris.

Chris put his hands up in defense and braced himself for the end, but through his closed eyes, light flashed. A yell of pain and a crash accompanied it. Chris opened his eyes to see the man against a wall, his clothes smoldering. A hole ran right through his chest. Astonished, Chris looked over to see Piers' legs as they turned a corner. Taking one look back at the defeated man, Chris pivoted on his heel and ran.

"PIERS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Chris screamed as loud as his lungs would allow. Why would Piers be running after he went through all that? He chased after the terrified-looking male.

Chris was driven, but so was Piers. The younger and faster soldier quickly outran his Captain. Even with his arm mutated, Piers' sniper instincts and talents had stayed in-tact. Soon, Piers was out of sight yet again and Chris stopped to punch the nearest brick wall. "FUCK!"

Chris was near tears when he decided this wasn't how it was going to end. He couldn't let Piers be alone like this. Who knows who else was after him? He wasn't losing Piers to this virus.

With renewed conviction, Chris ran in the direction he believed Piers to have gone. Thankfully, he encountered no more forks or split pathways. Soon he was out in another street. He heard quiet sobs coming from nearby. He turned around to see Piers kneeling over a large dip in the road that had been filled with filthy rain water. His arm had reverted to its original form, but Chris could still see its veins pulsing.

Not giving Piers another chance to run, Chris snuck up behind the man and grabbed his shoulders. With a gasp of surprise, Piers turned and pushed with his infected arm. Chris reeled over in pain and electricity coursed through his body. Piers stared in horror as he realized what he had just done.

"Captain! No! Are you alright?!" Piers asked urgently, jerking back his arm and catching the falling Chris with the other.

"Holy shit! That thing packs a punch!" Chris joked, attempting at a smile. Moving pained him though and he winced because of it.

Tears began falling from Piers' cheeks and fell onto Chris' own. "I hurt you! This is why I ran! I didn't want to hurt you again! I'm an accident waiting to happen..."

Chris lifted his arm despite the pain and caressed Piers' smooth skin. "Don't worry. This is nothing! I'll be fine, just give me a minute!" Chris began to take deep breaths, assisting his body in dispelling the agony. After a few minutes of this, Chris sat up and faced Piers. His arm had stopped pulsing and his eyes had dried somewhat. "See? I told you I'd be fine!" Chris succeeded at forming a warm smile this time.

"Captain what were you thinking! Why the hell would you run after me looking like that! I'm hideous! Nothing good comes from being around something like me! I thought maybe the virus had died down, but now I know it's not going to go away. Ever. I refuse to let you love something as disgusting as me! You'll end up getting yourself killed and I couldn't take that guilt! I wouldn't be able to go on knowing I was your murderer!" Piers went to stand, but Chris didn't give him the chance. He knew if he got on his feet again, Piers would run...or worse. He tackled Piers to the ground instead and pinned him. He fought back, but Chris was stronger.

"Shut the hell up!" Chris roared. Piers stopped flailing and looked up in shock. The beastial tone had him speechless. "That's enough! I've told you multiple times, I love you, haven't I? You think that's going to change because your arm has a spasm? Hell no! Why would you think of yourself as a monster after everything you've done? You saved my life! You saved the world, Piers! Now because you can shoot lightning, you're a creature meant to be secluded or put down? Suck it up, damnit! How do you think I felt when I woke up on that beach and realized you were gone?! Half my soul was gone and had left no clue as to where it had run away to! Did you ever think of that?! I wouldn't be chasing after you if I didn't WANT to love you!"

"Chris..." Piers couldn't speak. Not after a display like that. He had only been thinking about the Captain, but at the same time, he had been slowly been destroying his lover from the inside-out. "You really do care...that I survive? That something as broken as me should go on? Even after all the shit I've put you through?"

With a sigh, Chris got off Piers and helped him to his feet. Both stood there until Chris said, "With every fiber of my being. No matter what you look like, no matter what happens...I'll always tell you you're beautiful. I'll always love you."

True love had found its place between the two of them at that moment.

"Thank you Captain." Piers said as he wrapped his arms around Chris' waist and buried his face into the other man's chest.

Chris rested his chin on Piers' head. "No problem, Piers."

It seemed like hours before the gesture was finished. Neither wanted to let go in fear that the other would run off or they would wake up on the beach again, it all being a dream and finding the other dead beside them.

"Come on. It's time to go home." Chris coerced Piers.

Their hands never separated the entire way to the truck. Even then, Chris drove with only one as he held Piers' with the other.


End file.
